TURMERIC could help FIGHT cancer, reveals new study

Cancer patients may have been given new hope, as scientists have found a compound in turmeric has tumour-killing capability.

Curcumin, which is found in the popular spice, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and could stop nutrients being transported to tumorous cells.

How turmeric could help fight cancer

Researchers at Philadelphia’s Temple University reviewed data from nearly 5,000 previous studies to see how turmeric could help cancer victims.

They found it was able to stop the growth of eight types of cancers in a laboratory, such as breast, lung, blood, stomach, pancreatic, bowel, bone marrow and prostate cancer.

Turmeric is widely used in Eastern medicine for it’s healing powers, but is yet to be introduced into the Western world.

“The search for new effective drugs able to combat cancer diseases still represents a challenge for many scientists,” the study authors write in the journal Nutrients.

“Natural organisms (e.g., plants, bacteria, fungi) provide many active molecules with a potential application in medicine for the management of many diseases.

“As reported in the present review, curcumin exhibits anticancer ability by targeting different cell signalling pathways including growth factors, [the transport of nutrients and killing healthy cells].”

However, turmeric isn’t a miracle drug and cause side effects, such as diarrhoea, vomiting and headaches.

More research needs to be done.